If these are average Clevelanders, living in older urban neighborhoods like around University Circle their entire lives, they have been lead poisoned, perhaps severely. Thursday morning, May 22nd, join 100s of NEOs leaders concerned with our community's health, intelligence, safety and economy meeting at the Cleveland Natural History Museum for a free breakfast, keynote discussion and breakout sessions about lead poisoning and urban redevelopment. I guarantee you will leave this brief event with a completely realigned understanding of the core barriers to the success of our urban neighborhoods, leading to better planning for a healthy, effective region in the future.

This certainly has been a perfect spring for flowering trees, still exploding with color all over the near East Side. Here are some views at Lakeview Cemetery, where the plantings are exceptional any time of year, and especially about now. Check it out!

It’s time to come out from hiding, Sherrod.

Sen. Sherrod Brown doesn’t want to make a choice in the Democratic primary race.

But it’s time for him to show some courage. Bite the bullet and give us your choice for the Democratic nominee.

What is a "Green Roof" and what does it look like?

At the house on Roxbury, the green roof is where the raccoons still live.

Little Italy has always been core to my REAL NEO experience. From earliest childhood memories,  my family has always had many meals at various Little Italy restaurants, each year, as well as picking-up an occasional pizza (where else in NEO but Mama Santas or Valentino's... well, do try the Gelatoria at Fairhill). I also love getting Lemon Ice and other goodies at Corbos. with their unusual greeting of "Leave the gun, take the cannoli"... as authentic as life gets, in NEO. Last night, I noticed Corbos moved next door to their old home, to a remodeled new space (much as Prestis did, a few years ago) Little Italy has always been a great hyper-local neighborhood, where people live, work, eat and socialize together within, and interact well with the world without. There's always lots of private rehab and strong entrepreneurial business activity here, off the Med-O-Mart grid. Which makes me ask you, what matters to the hyper-local economy in your neighborhood, and how is that doing.

One great thing about a gravel driveway is you can hear them coming.

This afternoon, Claes and I were chilling at home in East Cleveland, minding our own business, when we heard that crunch of rocks under heavy tires. Then the slam of a car door, and heavy feet on the front porch... another drive-by had arrived. It's been happening regularly since we started renovating the house on Roxbury, late last Summer.... especially on a beautiful day like today.

Welcome to The Star Market and Cafe! What would make you walk, ride and drive out of your way and stop here? When? Why? Now is the time for Star Neighborhood Development to reinvent a blighted urban convenient store into a community asset. But how? That depends on you. What will you support here?

We have all attended meetings where you leave feeling you didn’t get to say what was on your mind; your brainy thoughts never saw the light of day – you may never get your chance. 

 

Here is an April 21, 2008 image of the MIT sailing club practicing with MIT designed TECH dinghies in an east wind on the Charles River Basin between Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts.   This area used to be a tidal estuary a hundred or more years ago, but is now separated from the Atlantic by a control lock – though thousands of  Alewife run up fish ladders to spawn.  

There are dozens of power boat clubs, sailing clubs and rowing clubs which line the Charles River from the first upstream falls in Watertown, Massachusetts (at the west end of the Basin) to the east end Locks.

Cleveland's integration - for recreation - of its river-side and lake-side water resources pales in comparison to the water-side recreational access provided by Boston and Toronto and Chicago. 

While Ed Hauser sticks up for one of  the only decent public park on the waterfront in Cleveland, the Dirty Dealer whines shrilly for it's corporate pal - Eaton – with panicky advocacy for an empty-headed "corporate campus" on the Lakefront. 

Boy oh Buoy! - Cleveland doesn't get it.

All species, all races, everywhere, we all must eat, frequently, so we humans may as well eat well. I prefer to eat at home, food I prepare,  of ingredients I know, in a kitchen I trust... there are few restaurants in the world that make me happier than homemade. But I certainly turn to experts for advice on food selection and preparation, and many of my favorite books - the ones I read over and over, and can't do without  - are cookbooks. I find all types interesting... international, ethnic, historical, regional... and consider many required reading. I'd be interesting for other foodie realneo members who share an interest in cooking to share their favorite cookbooks... some of mine are the header for today...

As we begin a new Spring - a new beginning - what are you doing to green your republic?

Here are some images of the neighborhoods known as Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Centre.

Becky's on about E 18Th and Chester used to be choked with smoke.   The smoke is gone now - thank you very much.   Parking is free in the Becky's lot.   Good salads and fried eats.

Max Hayes Vocational High School is the vocational school in Cleveland, Ohio.   A larger varienty of courses are taught than just the six on the sign. 

Apis Mellifera carts DNA around like gaiters.   For flowers and fruit, the casual visits of the bees are crucial.  

When the Iraq war began years ago, you could buy one of these magnetic backed plastic "ribbons" for a dollar or two.   I'll bet Karl Rove came up with the three word phase "support our troops". 

Flowers which propagate by bulbs don’t spread very fast.   Maybe a few inches per year.  So here is a photo of a front yard which has 70 or 80 feet of intense crocuses.

 You should visit the Cuyahoga County Court House at Ontario and Lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio.   Built in 1912 as part of the Burnham Plan, the building is a jewel.  Be sure to go to the second floor and ask to see inside the Appeals Court Room which faces Lakeside.  This carving is above the judge's bench in the Appeals Court Room.

Months of embrace from rock hard frozen earth doesn’t distract them,  carpets of last falls brown leaves don’t hold them down – a little thawing and a bit more sunshine and up they bound.

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed strange Clevelandesque slogans posted on billboards around town, with the attribution "Mind of Cleveland". I remember wondering if this was another Cleveland+hype campaign... or about AIDS prevention... and planned to google it later...

Every spring daffodils announce renewal…the earth has been dormant during winter but is coming alive as the sun moves towards our northern axis. 

Like fine furniture, these new serpentine pipe bike racks are wrapped to prevent scratching.   I thought the serpentine bike rack sculpture - complete with pillow cases - set against the Breuer linear-designed façade of the Cleveland Museum of Fine Arts addition was a nice juxtaposition. 

I know a few expert egg dyers - they have all the paraphernalia for dying hollow eggs.      

Outside San Juan on the way to the Botanical Gardens

The dirt lane was lined with 100+ year old sugar maple trees - all dripping a drop a second into these buckets. If I had brought decent audio equipment it would sound like heartbeats.

The view from my window on the world at the Brooklyn Branch library--Saturday, March 22

Here are the individuals who negotiated the MEDCON deal in secret for us.  They are the team that represented all of us here on Realneo and everyone else all across Cuyahoga County.

 

I visited the Arcelor Mittal Cleveland Works this afternoon to take a a look.   The sun came out making the scene fairly photogenic.  I began to take photos from the public way.

At night you can see through LeBron James' head into the windows of the Terminal Tower building complex. 

 

Getting messages through to someone you can't see - someone far away - can be quirky.  
A colored piece of cloth seems to do the trick in the thin air of Tibet.   Clearly, the message recipient is not color blind,  because the flags are POW! POW! Color.